Romney makes appointments to bench, state ballot commission

Thursday

BOSTON -- Gov. Mitt Romney yesterday sidestepped a prosecutor accused of wrongdoing amid a contentious divorce proceeding and instead nominated a Quincy lawyer for an associate justice's position the Suffolk County Juvenile Court.

James Torney, who served as legal counsel for the Massachusetts House Judiciary Committee from 1983 through 1988, took the slot the governor previously intended to fill with Renee Dupuis.

Dupuis, a Bristol County assistant district attorney, had been nominated last summer for the same judgeship, but Romney put it on hold in early August after learning of her bitter divorce and custody proceeding.

Dupuis divorced State Police Sgt. Barry Domingos in 2002, touching off a fight for control of their now 6-year-old daughter that is still unresolved.

In a June 6 affidavit filed in Plymouth Probate and Family Court, Domingos claimed his ex-wife had recently said: "We would be better off if you were dead. I should just shoot you."

The governor's own Judicial Nominating Committee recommended earlier this month that her appointment continue, but Romney has yet to resubmit it to the Governor's Council. That panel approves judicial nominations.

"We have no comment on individual applicants, but generally speaking, individuals who are recommended by the Judicial Nominating Council are eligible for appointment for 18 months," said Eric Fehrnstrom, the governor's communications director. Dupuis was nominated Aug. 3, meaning her eligibility extends to February 2007.

Torney received both his bachelor's and law degrees from Suffolk University. He serves on the board of trustees for the Boys and Girls Club of Middlesex County.

Romney also nominated Ariane Vuono of Northampton to be a justice on the state Appeals Court.

Currently an assistant U.S. attorney, she also has worked as assistant district attorney for the Northwestern District Attorney's office and the Hampden County District Attorney's office. She received her bachelor's degree from Yale University, a master's degree from Middlebury College and her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Romney also named Boston attorney Roberto Braceras to the State Ballot Law Commission. The five-member panel determines the legality and accuracy of nomination papers for the state ballot.

State law declares that no more than three members of the Ballot Law Commission may belong to the same political party. Braceras, an unenrolled voter, replaces Matthew Kane, an unenrolled voter who stepped down to become a member of the State Ethics Commission.

A partner at the Boston law firm Goodwin Procter, Braceras specializes in white collar criminal defense, securities fraud and complex commercial and product liability litigation. He has represented Philip Morris in tobacco litigation.

Braceras, who lives in Concord, is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale Law School. He is married to Jennifer Braceras, a Republican who was appointed by President Bush to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

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